Operation Daybreak: The Inside Story

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Old but good read

Operation Daybreak: The Inside Story
By: Ben Cal, PNA
As reprinted from The Manila Times
dtd 08, 09, 10 Jul 02

OPLAN Daybreak, as expected of a typical military operation, was marked with utmost secrecy. Now, the details can be told.

Oplan Daybreak, a special commando operation conceptualized by the AFP Southern Command (Southcom), was designed primarily to rescue the last three remaining hostages of the extremist Abu Sayyaf- American missionary couple Martin and Gracia Burnham and Filipino nurse Ediborah Yap.

The top secret project was only known to a handful of top defense and military personalities among them Defense Secretary Angelo T. Reyes, AFP chief of staff Gen Roy A Cimatu, Army chief Lt Gen Dionisio Santiago and Southcom chief Maj Gen Ernesto Carolina, and the men involved in the highly risky undertaking.

For six months, Oplan Daybreak was under wraps. Military strategists and planners knew from the outset the risk was high, so was the stake because it involved national security.

Groundwork for the highly secret operation began in earnest in the latter part of January. This, when it was determined the Abu Sayyaf was not interested in releasing the hostages.

Recruiting assets

Oplan Daybreak went into motion. Without wasting time, the 3rd Brigade of the Philippine Marines under Col Renato Miranda clandestinely recruited some assets, including Abu Sayyaf members.

"Through these assets and prior intelligence build up, the AFP managed to carry out an elaborate intelligence operation that allowed them to track down the ASG movements," Carolina said in his post-operation report to Cimatu.

Target of the operation were the top leaders of the ASG such as Khadaffy Janjalani, Aldam Tilao alias Abu Sabaya, the Abu Sayaff spokesman who always taunted the military, and Isnilon Hapilon, among others.

Before Oplan Daybreak was effected, the government troops clashed with the group of Sabaya and Isnilon 15 times since the bandits landed on June 1, 2001 in Tuburan, Basilan with 20 hostages they seized from the Dos Palmas Resort in Palawan on May 27, 2001. There the bandits grabbed 60 more hostages, including children and women. Prior to this the Abu Sayyaf had kidnapped 42 other innocent civilians, bringing the total number of their captives to 102.

Showing their ruthlessness, the Abu Sayyaf beheaded 18 of the hostages, including a foreigner, American tourist Guillermo Sobero.

Sabaya said the head of Sobero was their gift to the Philippine government on the occasion of the 103rd Independence Day celebration on June 12 last year.

The Abu Sayyaf also beheaded two Filipino hostages.

But the biggest beheading binge by the Abu Sayyaf was in Barangay Balobo, Lamitan where they cut off the heads of 11 captives without mercy.

The AFP particularly the Army's Light Reaction Company (LRC) and Marine troopers intensified their manhunt for the bandits to rescue the three hostages.

In June last year, the military arrested Karim Hassan, alias Karim Kiram, bodyguard of Janjalani, in Zamboanga City and Hanshim Abdulajid, an Abu courier in Metro Manila.

More arrests

The following month, 13 more Abu terrorists were arrested. They were Nabsmi Saabdula, alias Commander Global, a ranking Abu leader; Saltimar Salit, alias Toto Amar; Alip Sabdan, alias Abu Jar; and Javier Sampang, alias Wilson Asanin; his wife, Juring Manjarun Asanin; and Nuhman Dompol Asanin, an ASG liaison officer; Juris King, the alleged gun supplier to the ASG; Basuan Bael, right hand man of Janjalani; and Arena Blanco Kaing Said, who carries a P1million price on his head.

In September last year, soldiers arrested Mulhayser Tilao, Sabaya's brother; Jimmy Theng, the ideological and spiritual leader of the ASG; Itang Awal Isnual; Daud Tindaling Korong; Manhan Jumadil, a top aide of Ghalib Andang alias Commander Robot, who surrendered in Sulu; Mohammad Faizal Ijajili Dompal alias Faizal Abbas, who carries a P1million price on his head; Anni Sailini, alias Omar Abubakar; Itting Sailaini; Mario Benigno alias Yakan, allegedly the procurement officer of Abu; Abdulajib Ngayap who carried a P1million reward on his head; and Hadji Sabtali as Lidjalin Sakandal who both carried P150,000 price on their head, who surrendered.

Another ASG who was also captured last September was Gader Said who allegedly participated in the kidnapping of 21 mostly foreigners in Sipadan, Malaysia in 2000.

During their tactical interrogation, they provided Southcom more intelligence information on the operation of the Abu Sayyaf in Basilan.

Source: AFP CMO

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Continuation....

Tracking down Sabaya

Continued intelligence work paid off last April when the military monitored that Sabaya was able to slip out from Basilan.

"The AFP carefully tracked down his movements using information gathered by both the Americans and the AFP. The Americans relied on their surveillance equipment, mainly their spy planes, while the AFP used human intelligence (Humint) sources and extensive military operation," Carolina said in his report.

On April 12, Carolina said heavily armed Abu Sayyaf men were reported by residents of Sibuco, Zamboanga del Norte in their area.

Cowering in fear, the residents evacuated to Barangays Labuan and Limpapa in Zamboanga City. The military then suspected the ASG was trying to contact splinter groups of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Misuari Breakaway Group.

As part of its tactical move, the AFP refrained from conducting immediate combat operations until it was certain about the exact location and plans of the bandits.

Sabaya bluffed the AFP several times

Oplan Daybreak was about to be launched. The Southcom was pretty sure its men were on the right track on the whereabouts of the Abu Sayyaf.

Maj Gen Ernesto Carolina, Southcom chief, said the soldiers would like to ascertain that the hostages were alive and were with Sabaya.

But on the island of Basilan, Task Force Comet under Maj Gen Glicerio Sua stepped up its military operation to flush other Abu Sayyaf members.

However, the combat operation was designed to keep Sabaya and his men always on the run "and make him believe that he had successfully managed to evade the military."

On April 29, the 1st Special Forces Battalion clashed with 16 Abu members on board a pump boat, killing 13 of the terrorists and wounding their leader Sattar Yacub in the coastal waters of Brgy Talisayan, Zamboanga city.

The Abu group came from Tuburan and was trying to slip to Zamboanga del Norte to escape intense military pressure on Basilan Island.

Yacub was able to escape but was captured in Brgy Sinubong, Zamboanga City on May 4.

High state of alert

Military and police forces in Zamboanga City went on a high state of alert following the encounter to thwart any attempts by the Abu Sayyaf to create chaos and havoc in the area.

On May 14, Abu member Sahinon Hapilon, the brother of Abu leader Isnilon, was killed in a shootout with police operatives at a bus terminal in Zamboanga City. Hapilon was trying to catch a bus bound for Ipil, Zamboanga del Norte when he was gunned down.

In the meantime, Army intelligence agents continued their intelligence build-up in Zamboanga del Norte, taking photos and videos on vital operational areas, using an Army Cessna plane printed to look like a civilian aircraft.

The photos of the terrain were carefully studied and analyzed and distributed to the troops operating in the area.

By this time, the Southcom received reports that Sabaya's group and the three hostages were taken to the mountain ranges of Sirawai.

Misleading media

Media reported Sabaya's whereabouts but the AFP insisted he was in Basilan, so as not to jeopardize the ongoing operations in Zamboanga del Norte.

Then on May 27, pursuing troops confirmed and located Sabaya's group through an intelligence report. It was only a matter of time they would catch up with Sabaya.

Assessing the situation, Gen Carolina gave the green light to launch Operation Daybreak.

"Go, go, go," was the discreet signal for the troops to move out after Sabaya's group was spotted in Brgy Piacan, Sirawai.

"Discreet troop movement from Basilan to Zamboanga del Norte started in the morning of May 27," Carolina narrated.

Initially, three were 400 soldiers involved composed of five task force groups from the Scout Rangers, the elite Light Reaction Company (LRC) Marine Force Recon Company and Naval Special Warfare Group (SWAG). The troops were supported by the Naval and Army Riverine units and Philippine Air force (PAF) planes and helicopters.

Moving in military precision, the troops on board rented civilian boats and landed on pre-designated landing sites on June 6. Additional troops were inserted, bringing the number of soldiers to 948, Carolina said in his detailed report.

The objective was Brgy. Piacan. The troops were divided into three batches, separately landing in three waves in different places in the area.

Carolina said Task Group "Bulldog," composed of the LRC, the 11th Scout Ranger Company and the 44th Infantry Battalion were deployed to Brgy Danganon Bay after intelligence reports indicated the bandits had moved there.

Thrice before, the US-trained LRC almost captured Sabaya and rescued the hostages were it not for some hitches at the last minute.

The first was sometime in October last year. For some reason or the other, Sabaya and his group did not show up at a supposed place tipped by an intelligence asset.

The following month, the LRC again had a close encounter with Sabaya and other Abu Sayaff leaders, only to be aborted beyond their control.

But Gen Cimatu who laid out the plan as Southcom chief at that time, said the Rangers got another break that Sabaya and Hapilon Isnilon would rendezvous with some non-government organization (NGO) deep in the jungles of the tricky Sampinit Complex last Christmas Day.

The 70-man elite unit went to the area one week in advance and stayed there inside foxholes they dug to wait for their prized targets-almost the entire leadership of the Abu Sayyaf.

The troops endured the biting cold at night, the mosquitoes, the daily rain and other discomforts in life. For their food, they had crackers and canned sardines for their breakfast, lunch and dinner. At night they sleep "on alert" ready to engage the enemy come what may. If they were not trained in jungle survival, many of them would have gone nuts with the hostile environment all around.

[salbahis]

Continuation....

Point of no return

They were on a mission that could be dubbed as point of no return. Anyone who would return to base unilaterally would be disastrous. Their perseverance was tested to the limits. But as Rangers they were trained to persevere if only to achieve their mission come hell or high water.

Waiting was most cruel for those battle-scarred members of the Army's elite force, equipped with the latest weapons and gadgets of a modern foot soldier.

Each trooper is armed with M4 Carbine assault rifle, night vision goggles, armored vests, radio transceivers that would allow each member of the team to communicate with each other anytime, and an array of equipment not available to other infantry units in the AFP.

The US supplied the weapons and other equipment worth $1.8 million.

The LRC was a brainchild of concurrent Army chief Lt Gen Dionisio Santiago who organized the best fighting machine in the entire AFP to combat terrorism.

After a week of waiting, Dec 25 came. The Rangers were eager to put the coup de grace for the enemy. Then the expected happened. A woman member of an NGO while waiting for the arrival of Sabaya's group with the three hostages in tow inadvertently wandered into the area where the Rangers were concealed.

She stepped her foot in the foxhole of one of the rangers hiding down below. The woman was so frightened that she shouted for help. At that moment, Sabaya and his group were just a hundred meters away. The shouts alerted the bandits who pulled back, aborting for the third time a surefire rescue and annihilation of the Abu Sayyaf.

"Bad break"

Shaking his head, Cimatu smiled saying "this kind of bad break happened beyond our control when we thought everything was going smoothly. But we will get them in due time."

Cimatu said last February a risky plan the Rangers would implement during the rescue of the Burnhams and Ms Yap. The Rangers would conduct a surprise raid and during close quarter battle with the terrorists, three designated soldiers would cover the hostages with their bodies as shields until the fighting stops.

Then on May 27, pursuing troops confirmed and located Sabaya's group through an intelligence report. It was only a matter of time to finish off Sabaya.

As more troops were deployed on June 7, Task Group "Jersey" composed of a one company of the 44th IB and two Marine Force Recon Companies were ordered to focus their search for Abu elements in Piacan Point.

On the other hand, Task Group "Panther" made up of the 1st Scout Ranger Battalion and a platoon of snipers, were deployed to Sitio Balabagan, a very remote barangay and forested area, where American surveillance aircraft reported the presence of a sizable group of people.

The Naval Task Group, composed of 60 soldiers in three Navy vessels, five pump boats and two speedboats, kept a close watch on the waters off Sirawai and Sibuco towns.

The Air Task Group composed of UH-IH and MG520 helicopter gunship of the PAF 3rd Tactical Operations wing was tasked to provide close air support, evacuation of battle casualties and airmobile and resupply operations for the troops.

Pilots of UH-IH No. 689 were 1Lt Gaudencio M Lauron III and 1Lt Jun A Samilin with S/Sgt Reynaldo O Agustin and Sgt Ruben M. de Guzman as door gunners.

1Lt Ronald C. Cuenco and 1Lt Ingo G Hesita piloted UH-IH No. 794 with Sgt Arthur R Tulang and Sgt Malax D. Toledo as door gunners.

Their mission was to insert troops and whisk off the hostages from harm's way.

The overall commander of the operation was Maj Gen Glicerio Sua who stayed on board a Navy ship just off the shore monitoring the unfolding scenario through cellular phone and radio.

But when the operation progressed, Sua moved his command post to the shores of Sirawai to be in close contacts with his troops.

The first contact with the enemy was in Sitio Balobagan, Barangay Piacan, Sirawai on May 29 at 10 a.m. While on combat patrol, five teams of the 12th Scout Ranger Company led by 1Lt Jose Enrico Dingle, spotted 20 armed men resting in a thickly vegetated area near a creek.

Moving furtively, Lt Dingle's team who was upstream wanted to surprise the enemy. The Rangers crawled downward towards the position of the terrorists.

"However the terrain was rocky and the slope was so steep that even slight movements sent stones rolling down the creek," Gen Carolina said.

This alerted the Abu Sayyaf and a firefight erupted that lasted for 20 minutes. Four bandits were killed while three soldiers were slightly wounded. With some casualties, the terrorists fled in haste but left behind their last food provisions consisting of a sack of rice and jars of peanut butter.

The night before May 28, Sabaya called up Radyo Agong in Zamboanga City using a satellite phone. He said he would have Ediborah Yap in a day or two because she was converted to Islam. But it turned out Sabaya was bluffing.

Sabaya's most trusted man doubled as a military DPA

At this point, government forces were closing in on Sabaya and Abu spokesman may have sensed this, a military intelligence assessment said.

[salbahis]

Continuation...

Unfamiliar terrain

Sabaya's group was not familiar of the terrain in Sirawai so they kidnapped 30-year old Edwin Reseroni, a logging truck driver who was used as a guide.

After a few hours of sleep, elements of the 15th Scout Ranger Company led by 1Lt Oliver Almonares woke up early raring to track down Sabaya's group. At about 6:00 a.m. of June 7, a chainsaw operator informed the soldiers about the tracks he found down the road about 300 meters from where the Rangers were. Lt Almonares immediately evaluated the traces. They saw a slipper on the left side of the road.

This further boosted the soldiers' haunch that they were just near their elusive target. Lt Almonares ordered Lt Andrada and a certain S/Sgt to follow him to track down the Abu Sayyaf. They informed their commander, Lt Col Padua who was only one kilometer away.

Cautiously, they followed the trail and after an hour, they found the other pair of slipper near a downward portion of the road. They had difficulty following the tracks because the rain had washed them overnight. But the troops continued their movement with the hope to find more clues. Indeed, lead scout PFC Glen Tamayo discovered footprints and after two hours they found a hammock, some medicines and personal belongings left behind by the Abu Sayaff on a high ground. By this time, the Abus had no inkling they were followed by the Rangers.

The soldiers knew that any moment a firefight would erupt. They were ready for any eventuality, but they lost track of the enemy for a moment only to find some tracks again covered with dried coconut leaves at 11:00 a.m.

The tracks led the Rangers directly to the north and at the hilltop ridge where the enemy's harboring area was found," Gen Carolina said.

There the troops discovered fruits and personal items in the area about 100 meters away from where the bandits were taking their breakfast.

Carolina said, "The track went down towards the big river. After 15 minutes of stalking and crawling, the troops came upon some freshly cut wild ferns. The Rangers suspected that the enemy cut the ferns to eat them, showing that they were running out for food. Moreover, every fruit bearing tree along the way had mud on its trunks, which meant that the Abu Sayyaf was climbing these trees for additional food."

It was already a quarter past 12 noon when the troops decided to take a quick lunch. Looking for more "traces"

After 15 minutes, the troops moved on looking for more traces of the enemy. An hour of wandering in the thick vegetation, familiar traces began to appear again, giving them new hopes that Sabaya's group was just nearby. With buoyed up morale, Lt Almonares signaled his men to continue moving with caution. But heavy rain fell at 2 pm, erasing the traces and the jungle trail became slippery, breaking the troops' formation. If anyone of them would slide down, the noise would surely attract the enemy. Like ants evading from falling, the rangers continued to hold on while climbing uphill. Sliding would mean the end of their journey and may cost their lives.

Their hearts pounding rapidly, they murmured some prayers asking God's help in their difficult situation. Lt Almonares was the first to reach the summit and waited for the last man to climb. They breathed a sigh of relief as everybody was accounted for.

The time was 1450 hours or 2:50 p.m. But after moving only for five meters, Pfc Tamayo, the lead scout, spotted makeshift tents down below near a creek. He signaled his hand for the others to stop. Lt Almonares who was staying behind moved forward to check out and assess the situation just 20 meters. He saw four tents with hammocks underneath.

He summoned his team leaders to plan for a raid. This was the first time they have been waiting for after more than a year of hunting this elusive bandit group. Complete radio silence was observed. The commands were in whispers. They communicated mostly by hand signals, nodding or shaking their heads.

Lt Almonares positioned himself on the right flank and tapped Lt Andrada to take charge of the left and ordered four snipers to focus their eyes on the center and fire the first salvo. He reminded his men to refrain from automatic firing. One shot a time but only if they were sure of their target so as not to hit the hostages. Before the assault, Lt Almonares instructed his men not to resort to indirect fires such as rifle grenade, M203 rounds and hand grenades, "unless the hostages were secured."

An eerie silence pervaded the air as the Rangers crawled towards the terrorists who were resting in the hammocks unaware of the approach of soldiers for the kill. The problem the Rangers were facing was that there was no cover as they crawled towards their objective, only concealment and hoped they would not be seen. Slowly, they were able to move five meters downward. They noticed the water in the creek began to rise. Still they were lucky. The bandits have not noticed them. The first four elements of the team were able to establish combat position behind some stones in the creek.

But visibility was hampered due to bad weather, and the vegetation around. Then the radioman reported everybody was in place and ready for action. Raining bullets

Cpl Diawan, a sharp shooter, was assigned to fire the first shot for the attack to commence. Armed with an M14 assault rifle, Cpl Diawan aimed his sight then fired the first volley, fatally hitting one Abu Sayyaf. The rest of the team rained bullets at the terrorists who were caught with their pants down. Taken aback, the Abu Sayyaf scampered to different directions, confused but managed to return fire indiscriminately using mostly M203s. For a few moments, it was apparent the Abu Sayyaf did not know what hit them and probably did not believe soldiers were able to tail them.

During the first 10 minutes of heavy firing from both sides, there was no hostage in sight. Team 1 under TSgt Jagmoc was able to inch their way forward amidst flying bullets all over as another team provided cover.

In the ensuing exchange of fire, six Scout Rangers were wounded. They were Sgt Magbanua, Pfc Maddatu, Pfc Mabilog, Cpl San Pablo, Cpl Tuazon and Pfc Eustaquio. Despite being hit, some of them managed to fire back. As the fighting progressed, the troops spotted the hostages. Pfc Maranan, the radioman immediately contacted Lt Almonares to report they had seen the captives beside the cliff and sandwiched between the main group of Sabaya and Lt Almonares. The heavy exchange of gunfire continued to crack.

Apparently finding their bearing, the terrorists concentrated their fire on Team 3 of the Rangers and the snipers positioned beside Lt Almonares. The Abu Sayyaf also trained their fire where Martin and Gracia Burnham were located. Sabaya's group continued to pump more M203s. But still the Rangers maintained their selected targets, firing only one at a time as ordered.

Martin, Ediborah killed, Gracia wounded

Fifteen minutes into the fighting, Gracia Burnham was spotted and immediately secured by the soldiers who by now were able to maneuver and penetrate the Abu Sayyaf position under intense enemy fire. Other Rangers took position and fired at the retreating group of Sabaya who fled towards the northwest, still firing incessantly their automatic weapons.

After half an hour of intense firefight, Lt Almonares orders his men to cease firing after the bandits had withdrawn beyond the range of fire. H then directed two teams to pursue the fleeing group of Sabaya.

Gracia Burnham was bleeding from a bullet wound in her right leg looking frail, but apparently relieved upon seeing the Rangers, was given first aid by a slightly wounded Cpl Tuazon. The troops spotted the body of Martin Burnham, Gracia's husband, lying dead with a wound in his back. They immediately covered him with a hammock to prevent Gracia from seeing her husband dead lying in a pool of his own blood.

During the firefight, Burnham used his body to protect Gracia from being killed. Martin did not hesitate to sacrifice his life just to save his wife in the face of imminent danger.

Fifteen times before in the hands of the Abu Sayyaf, the bandits clashed with government forces. Fifteen times Martin, Gracia and Filipino captive Ediborah Yap survived.

But this time, Martin and Yap were not as lucky as before. Ms Yap, a nurse, was the one who attended to them when the couple's morale was at the lowest ebb. It was Ediborah's inspiring work as a nurse even in captivity that prompted the missionary couple to carry on with the hope of seeing freedom at the end which Martin and Ediborah unfortunately did not. An Abu Sayyaf terrorist shot and killed Martin and Deborah during the rescue operation, according to captured Abu Sayyaf member Toto Aluk alias Adzmar Aluk.

As the smoke of battle cleared, Lt Almonares ordered the evacuation of Gracia and the wounded Rangers. He called for a helicopter. The chopper pilots, Lt Lauron, Lt Samilin, Lt Cuenco and Lt Hesita brave the bad weather to extricate the wounded Gracia Burnham and the injured Rangers.

When Gracia boarded her plane at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) for the US two days after the incident, she thanked the Filipino people and those who prayed for them while they were in captivity. Holding back her tears she said: "We love you very much for your precious memories you gave us during our 15 years here," referring to the time they arrived in the Philippines as missionaries.

"Martin loved this country with all his hearts. I thank the military men, the Filipino people and American (soldiers) who risked and even gave their lives in order to rescue us, may God bless these men in their ongoing efforts," Gracia said.

During the rescue operation in Sirawai, four Abu Sayyaf terrorists were killed. But Sabaya managed to escape only to be killed two weeks later during a sea battle with elements of the Navy's Special Warfare Group (SWAG) and Philippine Marines off the coast of Sibuco, Zamboanga del Norte.

Sabaya tried to flee when his group was monitored by the military through a deep penetration agent.

Since day one when then Lt Gen Roy A Cimatu assumed command as Southcom chief on September 14, 2001, he immediately conceived a special project dedicated solely to rescue the hostages. The project was dubbed Oplan Daybreak when Gen Carolina assumed command of Southcom May 21 this year. Risky but tested method

Oplan Daybreak included the use of deep penetration agent or DPA, a risky but proven approach the military has been using since its inception against enemies of the State. The intelligence officers and men who worked on the project were able to recruit two Abu Sayyaf members who became double agents. One of them was Gardo Ibrahim, a trusted lieutenant of Sabaya. All throughout the 12-month period, Sabaya fully trusted Ibrahim. He had no doubt of his loyalty. But it was Ibrahim who did Sabaya in early dawn of June 21 this year. Ibrahim provided the military all the information he had about Sabaya's movement. Ibrahim's identity was only revealed two weeks ago when President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo personally handed to him a check of P5million for giving the military the correct information on Sabaya's plan to escape from Sibuco on that fateful day.

As Sabaya's speedboat sailed the Sulu Sea, little did he know that he and six of his followers were going into a lion's den. A kilometer after the speedboat left anchor, Sabaya's group ran smack into a military patrol. It was too late when Sabaya noticed that they were detected. There was no way out.

Sabaya opened fire but this time the SWAG and Marine patrol made sure they got him. It was pitch dark but this was not a problem to the military. The troops were equipped with night vision goggles provided by the United States.

During the sea battle, the soldiers had the advantage of seeing the enemy in the dark. Sabaya opened fire but the troops were ready for the attack. A SWAG trooper aimed his weapon and fired at Sabaya before their sea craft rammed Sabaya's boat.

The Abu Sayyaf leader fell into the sea mortally wounded as attested by four captured terrorists in the custody of the military. If he survived the bullets, the sharks would surely smell the blood of the ruthless Sabaya.

[CocoCrunch]

LOL

The story above is funny and exaggerated. They always think they are good but if other countries would handle and solve a situation, I bet we are, as usual, behind.

And hell it's not top secret. It was all over the news. Aren't militaries celebrities too who love the cameras and interviews? IKR

[Toragsuy2011]

nose bleed. wala lang. hahaist.

[LeeLeePot]

ka char ani oi!

[salbahis]

LOL

The story above is funny and exaggerated. They always think they are good but if other countries would handle and solve a situation, I bet we are, as usual, behind.

And hell it's not top secret. It was all over the news. Aren't militaries celebrities too who love the cameras and interviews? IKR

the crisis yes, its all over, the operation nope, i remember the indept details about the operation came to light after six months...well this is posted over a national news paper, and it came from AFP CMO

[CocoCrunch]

OPLAN Daybreak: The LRCs rescue of Gracia Burnham

i think every scenario or crisis there's always an operation "something". the plan to rescue the burnhams is not quite impressive to me. sorry